


Pack Bond Forged in Combat

by QuantumFeat72



Category: Original Work
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, Gen, Gun Violence, Humans Are Weird, Humans are space orcs, Military Backstory, Nonbinary Character, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-07 01:11:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18400082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QuantumFeat72/pseuds/QuantumFeat72
Summary: The general wisdom was, if you go anywhere dangerous, you'll want to bring a human with you.  As such, there were a lot of humans in Adalhia's line of work.  He thought he was done being surprised by them, but there was something weird about this one.Nothing to worry about, though, obviously.





	Pack Bond Forged in Combat

**Author's Note:**

> Haha uh,, this is my OC August Giminshi they have a mysterious past and a brooding personality and they speak 3 languages. Am I doing this right? Um.
> 
> Based on some posts going around on tumblr, but you shouldn't need context to read. Might come back to it, but it should stand on its own. Concrit is welcome, as always.
> 
> I've had this idea (and these characters) for a long time, and this isn't actually how I planned on them meeting, but it's the version that got written down so I guess it's canon now?

August Giminshi was, by all rights, a _frail_ little human.Barely five feet tall, all shrunken corners and stilted, shifty movements.They spoke choppy, formal Common and jumped at sudden noises.I heard whispers around their name before we met - none of it _true_ , obviously, except that they were ex-military.They had a timid disposition - not of a socially anxious youth, but more of a wild animal, like something that would ignore you if you left it alone, but bite your head off if you got too close.I left them alone.

Our crew was mostly Sybaalt engineers and geologists - you didn't need a lot of brawn for this kind of mission, but you never knew with planets like these and the general wisdom was to bring a human if you go anywhere dangerous.I could tell why they picked August - kid looked about as unintimidating as humans get, with their short, scrawny limbs and stubby teeth, but anyone who's spent some time around humans knows the jumpy ones are the most dangerous.

So I left them alone, even though I was there for the same reason they were - insurance in case something went wrong.In my line of work you end up on a lot of teams with humans, and usually you do better to have some polite conversation with them every now and then (with those pack-bonding instincts of theirs, they usually like company).But I didn't want to risk starting trouble with some paranoid ex-military human who people told weird stories about, and there wasn't going to be any fighting on this trip anyway.Sybaalt - they were always paranoid.

August spent most of their time in the common room, not talking to anyone, just kind of sitting there working on something in their hands I never got a good look at.Sometimes I'd go out to get a bite to eat and they would be doing nothing - just sitting in one of the soft nests in the room, watching the ceiling.I never saw them eat, which struck me as rather strange for a human.I asked Captain Dyrall once if the kitchen had even stocked food for them, to which ze replied that humans could eat anything Sybaalt could, so ze hadn't bothered getting human-made ration packs.Ze said August brought snacks of their own for any uniquely human nutritional needs, and overall demonstrated zir understanding of the situation so I didn't push it after that.

Still, I knew that humans constructed elaborate rituals around eating times and food in general, so it felt strange to have one in the next room while I ate who didn't insist on joining me.Perhaps it was their way of giving _me_ space, which seemed a little odd, but wasn't so strange when I realized that if they were ex-military, they'd probably known a lot of other Gathalra.Maybe they'd even fought against us during the war for Earth.That was a vaguely terrifying thought.I left them alone, and they paid me no particular mind.

A few weeks into the expedition, I was passing through the common room when the ship suddenly shook and I almost lost my balance.When I got back to my feet, I saw that August's fidgeting had gone still, and their face had shifted.They stood, silently, and left the common room.Something in their demeanor made me nervous, and I followed them.

They went straight to the hull, where Captain Dyrall was standing over Pilot Calligna's shoulder. Dyrall appeared slightly agitated, but Calligna was calm, and nobody who wasn't paranoid would be concerned about a little bump in flight - it happens all the time.

Captain Dyrall spoke."Are you certain it wasn't..."

"For the last time, Captain, I'm sure."Calligna's words were cross, and he turned to meet the captain's eyes as he spoke - that's meant as a challenge, for Sybaalts, and I was getting ready to watch a fight when August stepped into the room.

"Something isn't right," they said, calmly and matter-of-factly, like describing the weather."I think that wasn't a normal bump.Is anything behind us?"

Calligna looked like he wanted to argue, but you don't argue with the human whose job is to keep you alive.He turned back to his control panel and tapped at it, then replied, "No, there's nothing."

August looked past him at the control panel, squinting.They didn't seem convinced, which didn't surprise me for someone as skittish as them.

They were making Captain Dyrall nervous though, so I spoke up."It's probably nothing, then."

August turned quickly to look at me, startled, but relaxed and looked back at the screen."Probably nothing," they agreed, "I'm going out to check on it, just in case."

"Good," said Dyrall before anyone could object."Adalhia, go with them."

I wasn't fond of the idea of leaving the ship to check on some ghost, but at least it was something to do, so I agreed and trailed behind August as they headed toward the airlock.Various engineers cautiously looked after us, distraught at the knowledge that we had a job, and I figured it was best not to say anything lest they think it was worse than it was and start a panic.It occurred to me that a paranoid human like August seemed a good fit for such a paranoid crew.

Anyway, we made it to the airlock and they suited up and left without a word, and I waited inside, because even if something WAS wrong I'd be more use in here where I could actually move if I had to.I turned my comm on and told August to ping me if there was something worth reporting, to which they calmly agreed.

Now, I only know a couple of words in English (the most commonly spoken Human tongue), and 'fuck' is one of them.It's a very versatile word, and I've heard a lot of humans adopt it into Common sentences.It's a word for when you've accidentally walked into something and hurt yourself, or when your mental state is somehow compromised and you can't form coherent sentences.It can be used to emphasize just about any emotion you'd like to express, but alone it usually means something bad.

It's not a word you want to hear an overly-formal, timid human shout multiple times as they crash back into the airlock.

"EVACUATE THE SHIP!" they yelled into the comm, and I had to pull it away from my face to hear them.

"What's going on?" I asked, and they made a frustrated sound.

"Later!" they shouted, "Just go!"

I prefer to know what I'm running from before I run, but you don't argue with the human on your crew, so I sprinted back toward the hull to tell Captain Dyrall, yelling at the engineers on the way to get to the escape pods.

When I was halfway across the ship, there was a sound, and then an explosion.The ground shook.I scrambled along it.There was a flash of red, and then silence.I ran.

The hull was empty, so I went to the pods and found a dense crowd of terrified scientists shuffling into them.Another sound.The lights went dark.There was yelling, and I was still, and August was behind me.

"That's everyone," they breathed, and we climbed into a pod, and the lights came back on, and we took off into the sky.

Through the small, cloudy window of the pod, I saw what August had seen: a ship three times the size of ours, covered in cannons, getting ready to shoot us.The build was unmistakable.It was a Gathalran warship.

Dyrall was yelling into the pod's comm, trying to get in touch with the other ship.They couldn't have gotten this close without us noticing, not unless they used their cloaking tech and were really, really careful.They had a reason for this.I ran my head through my own list of enemies, but I didn't even know anyone in the military.

August was staring at me.

The ship didn't answer, and I watched another missile come from the warship and crash into ours.August stood and spoke to the captain in hushed tones, and ze spoke hurriedly into the comm.I was surrounded by terrified scientists.I may as well have been one of them, all the help I was being.Put me in a room with a wildbeast or an angry Sybaalt, I can claw and bite my way out of that, but I'm no use on a ship.

August sat down next to me and spoke quietly in perfect, formal Gythryll.My native tongue."Did you do this, Adalhia?" they asked simply, watching me.

"Where the shit did you learn Gythryll," I muttered back to them.Their face didn't change.

"We have more pressing concerns.You don't look like someone who betrayed someone - you look like someone who's been lied to about something.I don't think you meant for this to happen."They took a breath and glanced around at the others, some who were watching us and some who weren't, and then they looked back to me."Between us, Adalhia, if you had something to do with this, I care a lot more about any information you have that would get us out of here than whatever led to it.I'll give you one chance to be honest with me."

They said it slowly and carefully, without hostility, but there was a bite to their unspoken threat."I couldn't bring a warship down on us if I _wanted_ to," I answered truthfully."How do I know this wasn't _you_?"

August laughed.It wasn't a good laugh.

Captain Dyrall shouldered zir way over to us."The Gathalran ship isn't answering," ze said nervously, to both of us."I don't know what to do.Should we run?"

"No," August and I said in unison.August continued, "We run, they follow.Loop around, get behind them.We're going to board their ship."

"Are you insane?" I asked, and Dyrall seemed to be thinking the same.

August looked at me."What other choice is there?" 

"Surrender," I offered uncertainly.

"Tried."They shook their head."Running is death.Staying is death.Our options are to fight."They looked back up at Dyrall, whose face was the picture of fear and horror."Gathalra warships have a blind spot just behind the third engine.Hide there, get me and Adalhia inside, wait.We do the rest."

"And what exactly does 'the rest' entail?" I asked.

August smiled, maybe for the first time since I'd met them."We do our job," they replied simply.

* * *

August wrapped their hands in bandages, despite not being wounded: a human behavior I'd only heard of where they use cloth as makeshift armor to protect their hands while they fight.  I didn't have any weapons on me - I'd never needed them, and I didn't know how to use them - but I noticed August moving a small knife from one pocket to another.  Captain Dyrall silently positioned us behind the warship, and we took the only two suits on board.  The other pod stopped in a similarly hidden position, and we got ready to leave.

This plan was insane.Our chance of success was less than abysmal - it was zero - but I didn't have much of a choice in the matter.As little reason as I had to trust August, they were right.If I was going to die, I'd prefer to die fighting.

"It's time," said August. 

We slipped into the tiny airlock together and waited for the pressure to dissipate.August muttered something in English, eyes closed.The door opened, and we drifted down to the edge of the warship.I had never seen one up close before.August led the way to a small maintenance airlock on top of the ship.It didn't matter how quiet we were at this point - they'd know we were here as soon as we climbed in.August turned to me and showed their teeth in a human 'grin,' and asked, "Are you ready?"

There was nothing to say to that, but I nodded, and they opened the airlock.

It was quiet when we climbed down.The air was thicker here, more akin to my home planet than the thin air in the Sybaalt ship.I expected alarms the moment we got inside, and both of us took our suits off as quickly as we could.August opened their knife and I unsheathed my claws.

There was no alarm.August lowered their weapon by small degrees and glanced at a panel on the wall.I followed their eyes and saw the display - it looked like a list of names and ranks, with post assignments and little 'accounted for' marks next to each.August pocketed their weapon."Weird," they murmured, and then said louder, "Looks like we got lucky; someone's not paying attention."

Before I could question them, they took off down the hall with a little 'follow me' gesture.The ship was a maze - it was meant that way, all Gathalran warships are.August didn't hesitate a moment at the turns, except for a quick check at each corner to look for hostiles.I kept an eye out behind us, and saw nothing.

"Is it just me," I whispered (in Gythryl, since I knew they understood it anyway), "or is this ship weirdly empty?"

"It isn't full-staffed for damn sure," August whispered back, and I was taken aback by their language, but they didn't appear distressed.We passed another wall-panel, and August stopped to point at it."You saw the list, right?Only five names.Ship this size, it'll need everyone on deck just to _run_.It's strange."

"Do you recognize any of the names?" I asked, figuring I may as well go through _their_ list of enemies as well as mine - between the two of us, August was the more likely target.

August shook their head."Do you?"

"No..." and then I noticed something."There's no Captain listed."

"Never is," August replied without hesitation."Any rank above Major, you're not on the list."

"Why?" I asked.

August just shrugged."Come on," they muttered, and we were moving again.

My mind wandered to the rumors I'd heard about August before we met.I'd dismissed them out of hand - they were, by all rights, absurd - but now... Now I wasn't so sure.I'd heard they were _raised_ by Gathalra, that they'd fought against Humanity in the Earth War, that they'd reached the rank of Admiral in the Gathalran army before suddenly quitting.It couldn't _all_ be true, but what if...

I shook the thought from my head - the Gathalran military has _very_ strict, honestly kind of prejudiced rules about who can reach what rank based on race and caste, and I may be guilty of looking it up before I met them - Humans can't even go above Sergeant.Still, the way they moved on this ship made it seem like they could have been raised in it.

We reached a door, and August drew their weapon and hugged the wall, gesturing for me to do the same.I took the other side of the door and got ready for a fight, and August opened it.

The gunshots I was expecting didn't come.August entered the room, weapon ready, glancing back and forth warily.I followed suit, watching for any signs of life.Nothing moved.I looked back to August, who was staring at the control panel on the side of the room.

"This isn't right," they said."This is the _gun_ room.Somebody should be here."They walked over to the control panel, resting their hands on the desk.Their movements were tense and strained, like prey that knows it's already caught."They know we're here," they whispered, not with fear, but with certainty.

"What do we do?" I asked dumbly, and watched them tap their stubby claws on the surface of the desk nervously.

They took a long, deep breath before they spoke."I can disable the cannons from here.We do that and call Dyrall, tell them to leave without us."

"What-"

"We have to watch their backs," August insisted."We run, they follow, remember?Except they know you and I are here - that we're not running.I'll disable the cannons, Dyrall and the others run, and we'll stay behind and finish this."

"They don't need the cannons to follow Dyrall," I pointed out."They can follow with us on board and send somebody to get the cannon controls back online."

August hesitated, but shook their head."I don't think that's their game.They know by now that we're here; there's only one place those pods could be hiding.They could've shot Dyrall to pieces by now, but they haven't."

"What the hell IS their game, then?"

August breathed and shook their head."I don't know," they said, and straightened to their full height for the first time since I'd known them. 

"So you expect me to just lay down and die for this plan, huh?"

They turned around to look me in the eye, and I couldn't help but to back up a step."That's our job," they said."I know it's not the same for you Gathalra, but when a Human swears to protect someone, that means up to and _including_ sacrificing their own life for that person.The two of us die, here, and everyone else lives."They sat at the desk and started pushing buttons on the control panel."If you want to run back to the ship with your tail between your legs, do it now.I'm staying."

"Why do you care?" I asked, bitterly."You're not pack-bonded with that crew.It's just a job."

"Well I take pride in my job," they responded, unfazed."Unlike some people."

They were calling me a coward, and I got the impression that was the worst insult a human like them could come up with.I watched them tap-tap-tap at the control panel, and I hoped they knew what they were doing.

The panel dinged, and August straightened again."Last chance to turn back," they said."I'm signaling Captain Dyrall."

"I'm not leaving," I said, and I hadn't been sure until I said it, but the decision was already made. 

August gave me this look, like that was the last thing they expected me to say.They blinked a few times, and then smiled.It wasn't one of those strange human smiles when they bare their teeth at you - it was calm, and friendly.They smiled, and then they pulled out their comm and patched through to the escape pods.

I noticed for the first time that when they switched to Common, they hesitated with their words."Go," they said to Dyrall."Now."

"What about you?" came the staticky voice over the comm.

August seemed to consider their words carefully."We stay; make sure you get out.Be careful."

There was nothing for a long moment, and then, "Thank you.Good luck."

August turned off the comm and slid it into their pocket.We waited.There were no cannons.There was no fire raining from above.August watched the control panel, tapping their tiny claws on the edge of it like it helped them breathe."Let's give them ten minutes," they said in Gythryl."Then we'll find whoever's running the show and finish this."

* * *

"Do you think they're after _you_?"  I shouldn't have said it, but I did.  

August tensed visibly in their seat by the controls.They didn't look at me."I'd be lying if I told you I didn't have any enemies in the military," they said."I don't _think_ any of them would do this, but..." they shrugged, a half-hearted little gesture that I wouldn't even have noticed if I didn't know as much as I did about humans."Who knows," they finished.

"Are the rumors about you true?"

"Which ones?"

Wasn't it obvious?"I don't know," I said."Any of them?I heard you were raised by Gathalra - I thought it was complete garbage, but you speak Gythryl better than some _Gathalra_ I've met, you know the layout of this place by instinct, you hardly act human..."

"I guess it depends on what counts as 'raised.'"August turned around to face the center of the room, holding a pen they'd picked up somewhere and twirling it in their hands while they spoke."I mean, at the time I would've told you I was _basically_ an adult, but that's just a phase everyone goes through as a kid, you know?"

"This answers none of my questions," I said.

August laughed, for a moment, and then they got really quiet, and stared at nothing for what felt like a few minutes.

"What happened?" I asked, and it seemed to startle them.

They shrugged."I joined the army.Thought I was an adult, you know?"

"How old were you?"

"Sixteen."August held out their hands and started holding up different numbers of fingers, like they were referencing them for something."So about the maturity of a twenty-five year old Gathalra, give or take."

Gathalra don't leave their family until they're at least thirty.I didn't until I was thirty-six, and I have friends who still lived with their families at forty or older.You sure as shit aren't allowed to join the military at twenty-five."Do humans not have an age requirement for the military?" I asked.

August shook their head no."Nah, you aren't allowed to join until you hit eighteen.'Course, if they're in the middle of a big war and low on volunteers, and you have some badly forged documents lying about your age, maybe nobody'll look too close, and you can get in anyway."

"Why would you do that?"Honestly, I couldn't understand why anyone joined the army at all, let alone a kid who wasn't even supposed to be _able_ to.

August's expression shifted, just a little, and then they looked back up at me with a smile that didn't really look right."Hey, enough about me," they said."What's your story?"

"My story?"

"Yeah, as long as we're telling stories.Everyone has a story."August stretched their arms in front of them and returned their eyes to me with a more natural-looking grin."Why'd you become an escort?"

'Escort' is the human name for it - anyone else would just refer to us as the 'ship humans,' and sure, it's a weird job for someone who isn't actually human.I shrugged."Not much work for a Gathalra who isn't a warrior," I said."It's easier to look intimidating and babysit some paranoid Sybaalts than to actually learn to fight."

"Not the safest of jobs," they pointed out."And you don't strike me as a reckless person."

I didn't have an answer to that that didn't sound mean.I tried to put it lightly."I usually take the jobs that aren't actually that dangerous.Besides, most crews get a _real_ human first, and I'll tag along if they think they need another one.I mean, it's not like these guys were likely to need our help."

"Fair enough," said August, sounding much less judgmental than I had expected after their 'coward' speech earlier."Isn't it hard, though?Having a job that doesn't mean anything?"

I didn't have an answer to that.

August checked the time."We should get ready to move," they said, and muttered, "They _must_ know we're here..."

"GIMINSHI!"

We both jumped.The voice was coming from August's comm.I didn't recognize it.

"August Giminshi!" it continued, "Do you read!"The voice spoke Gythryll, and sounded distressed.

August hesitantly walked up to the comm and hit the button, and spoke into it."Dalrhia?What's going on?"

"Oh thank the heavens," the voice - Dalrhia - replied."Where are you?"

August's eyebrows lowered and they sounded unimpressed when they spoke."This connection wouldn't be secure under the _best_ of circumstances, Rhia.I don't know what you had to do to contact me but I'm not-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get the picture." Dalrhia replied dismissively."Listen, you've gotta get out of there.It's General Gyantel - " August's eyes widened at the name - "He's stolen a ship, he's looking for you and-"

"What does he want?" August interrupted.

Dalrhia caught their breath."He's out for blood, August.You have to run."

"It's too late to run.Are you safe?"

"For now.I stowed away- wait, are you on the ship?"

August laughed."Alright, whatever rock you're hiding under, stay there.I'll call you when this is over."

"Woah woah WOAH.Don't you DARE try to fight him.You've got to run-"

"Can't run.My ship's blown up."

"Then come hide!"

"You can't hide forever, Rhia.Be careful, alright?I'll call you when this is over."They were about to turn off the comm when-

"Wait," Dalrhia said, and there was a pause while August let them think."If- if you're planning to fight him, go to my room first.He cleared out the armory but I have some spares, you need them more than I do, just be careful, okay?Don't get killed."

August smiled."Thank you, Rhia.You too."

"Yeah, yeah, just go," said Dalrhia, and August turned off the comm.

Then they turned to me and said, "Looks like this one's on me."They paused to think, tapping their claws on the comm's speaker."Rhia doesn't know you're here, which means if someone was listening to us, chances are neither do they.You can find her and wait this out - your chances are better that way."

I started to think through what they said, but the answer presented itself without any consideration."My chances are better if we beat him.I'm coming with you."

August laughed, briefly, looked away from me, and stretched their arms behind them."You have no idea what we're up against here," they said."The trained warrior _Dalrhia_ has the good sense to hide.Have you ever even _used_ a gun?"

"Is it hard?" I asked.

"Not really," they replied."The hard part is that _they'll_ have guns.He's got three or four people with him - even with your help we'd be outnumbered."August took a breath and pocketed their comm, still not looking at me."You may be an escort, but you're still a civilian.I can't involve you in this."

"I'm already involved," I insisted."I'm not backing out now."

August laughed again, and I wasn't sure what kind of laugh it was."Alright, I'm going to tell you one more time to hide."

"I'm not going to hide."

August's laugher stopped and they were quiet for a second."Fine," they said."Follow me."

We started off down the hallway again.It was quiet as it always had been, but now August's movements were faster and I found myself struggling to stay quiet as we walked.We got to the crew's quarters and August went straight toward the one with Dalrhia's name on it.I followed them inside and they pointed to the left edge of the room.

"Okay," they said, "you start there and I'll start over here and we'll work towards the middle."

I watched them for a second when they started looking and saw the way they tested the floor panels to see if they were loose, and I tried to follow suit on my half of the room.It was a pretty plain room, without much to hide a weapon stockpile under, but I noticed by Dalrhia's nest there was a photo of a group of Gathalra warriors with one human.

August found something first and called me over.They placed a small, heavy weapon in my hands and held up a similar one.

"Alright, here's how you use a gun," they said, and started pointing to different parts of it and explaining."Don't point it at anyone you don't want to hurt.Keep the safety on when you're not holding it.Hold it like this - keep your claw off the trigger unless you intend to shoot someone.Aim with _one eye_ and line up your target with the top of the gun.You can shoot six times before you need to reload - don't lose track and don't waste bullets."They paused and put their own gun between a few layers of their clothes."I think that covers it," they finished."Don't get shot, alright?"

"I think I could've guessed that part," I said, hoping I'd actually remember everything- well, _anything_ they just told me.

"Just be careful, Ada," they said as they stood up and headed toward the door.They then paused, as though remembering something."Er-" they said, turning back to me, "Can I call you Ada?"

I knew 'nicknames' were a thing among humans, but I hadn't imagined I'd ever receive one."Sure," I said, confused that they'd bothered to ask permission and a little taken aback by the break in August's serious tone.

They just smiled and ducked through the door, and we were moving again.

* * *

It was a big ship.  Bigger than these warships looked from a distance.  Bigger than should have gotten close to us without anyone noticing.  I guess I'd always known warships like these had really advanced cloaking tech, but I never thought it was quite this effective.  The hallways were full of turns and forks, designed so no-one who was unfamiliar could navigate it.  I lost track of where we were as soon as we started moving.

August moved quickly and efficiently, never hesitating at a turn for even a moment.It was hard to be afraid when they seemed so comfortable - their face showed no fear, their movements were quiet and precise.I felt for the gun in my belt, made sure it was still there.

We came to the brig.August took one side, and I took the other, and we pushed our way inside.

Gunshots.Two Gathalra- armed.I raised my weapon, fired, missed.August shot once, twice, and they both went down.They aimed farther and I saw three more."Hold your fire," they said to me.

I didn't see the reason for it, but I did what they said.August raised their voice to be heard by the three in front of us.The Gathalra's weapons weren't out, but they were getting ready to draw them.Their claws were out."Gyantel," said August."I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

The center Gathalra growled at us and I gripped my gun tighter.There was no peaceful resolution to this - what was August _doing_?

"I have an offer for you," said August.

One of the Gathalra at Gyantel's side bared their teeth and growled, "You think you can _talk_ your way out of this, August?You'll pay for what you did."

"I saved your damn lives and this is the thanks I get?And it's _Giminshi_ to you."Human naming customs were unfamiliar to me, but the way they said this made it sound like an insult.August went on."And I think you should consider it, because if you move now I can shoot at least two of you before you ever get to me."

Was that a bluff?I looked to August, but if they were posturing their body language didn't show it.There was no way they could shoot with that much accuracy at this range, right...?

Then again, these firearms were invented by humans.

"General Gyantel of the Gathalra," said August, "I challenge you to a duel."

Gyantel blinked and stared openly back at us.A duel - of _course_ humans were one of the few species to have ritualistic combat.I had considered it purely a Gathalra custom until now.August didn't blink.Gyantel spoke."What are your terms?"

"Just you and me - no allies, no weapons.To the death, and no matter who's the winner, a ceasefire between your people and mine.

They were still trying to protect me.I'd call them foolish, but it was only human.

Gyantel considered us for a long moment, and his posture relaxed."I accept," he said, and stepped forward.

August lowered their gun and handed it to me."Don't interfere," they said."Unless he cheats, in which case you have my permission to shoot him."

"Are you sure about this?" I asked them, and they shrugged.

August shed their outer layer of clothes.Their hands were still wrapped in the cloth they'd applied on the ship, and they left the bindings on.Without their coat, they looked even smaller, like a woodland prey animal whose only defense against predators was to run.They stepped forward.

One of Gyantel's people counted them off.

He was on August before I had time to blink, but they'd jumped back already and darted to his side.They attacked with their balled up hands, aiming for his gut, his neck, his face, and he threw his claws around in wide strikes August ducked to avoid.They grabbed the fur on his back and climbed onto him.He yelled and reached around to grab them, but they held firm.He let himself fall backward and landed on top of August, and I heard them yell from under him, but they were still holding on when he stood back up.They climbed up to his shoulders and wrapped their arms around his neck.Gyantel grabbed their arm with his claws out, and they were bleeding.

One of Gyantel's people approached the fight, and I edged closer to them just in case.Gyantel roared and tried to throw August off of him, and their body swung close to the approaching Gathalra, who flinched backward, then knelt to pounce and opened their claws.

"Behind you!" I yelled, too late, and then August was a mess of blood on the floor at the Gathalra's feet.Gyantel looked at me and I remembered my gun.

I closed all of my eyes but one and aimed down the top of the weapon.Gyantel pulled his own gun out and I pulled the trigger.He fell, and there was a gunshot to my left.I turned and fired without looking and there was a pain in my arm.I was close enough to attack normally, and I swung my claws at the Gathalra and met flesh, and they were down.I felt metal against my neck.

"Don't move," said the other Gathalra, pressing his gun to my head.I froze and tried to think, and the pain in my arm grew and festered.I saw blood when I looked down."Do you have any idea who you're defending?"They asked.It wasn't a question."You fucking ship-humans," they continued, "protecting anyone who pays you, even who don't deserve it, even people like _them_."

"Well, honor isn't a strictly human concept," I said, struggling to stay conscious, "not that _you'd_ know anything about that."

They growled, and I was getting ready for some dramatic heroics but my head was starting to hurt and my arm was giving out under me, and I felt so tired.I growled back at them instead, tried to act intimidating, but it was useless.

The gun on my neck pulled back and I braced myself.There was a noise, and I turned to see the Gathalra on the ground, August on top of them, yelling, and there was a gunshot.I relaxed onto the floor and closed my eyes.Everything hurt.I heard August's voice, "Rhia! Warrior-Dalrhia, do you read!" Static."Get to the brig, it's over and I need a pilot."Muffled words, then August's hands on my arm,on my wound.It hurt, and I tried to pull away."It's alright," said August's voice."You're gonna be okay, you're gonna be fine."

"I thought you were dead," I mumbled, not really hearing myself, and August laughed.

"It takes more than that to kill me," they said, and then, "Just hang in there, Ada.We're gonna be fine."

I drifted, and fell asleep.

* * *

When I woke up it was warm.  I knew without opening my eyes that it had been a while - my body had shut down to heal, and my arm barely hurt anymore.  I could smell medical supplies, so I was in a hospital somewhere.  Whatever happened, it was over now.  I opened my eyes and sat up, looking around the room.  I expected to be alone.  I was wrong.

August was sitting in the corner of the room, their feet up on the table, holding something in their hands - it looked like the same thing they'd had on the ship, but I couldn't see it any better now than I did back then.They saw me move and glanced up at me, smiling without teeth.

"How long have you been sitting there?" I asked.

August shrugged."On and off for a few days.Not like I had anything better to do."

"You do seem to be very good at sitting around," I muttered through the haze of lightheadedness.

"It's my specialty," August replied, unperturbed.They put down their project and walked over to the nest I'd woken up in."How are you feeling?" they asked, looking down.

"Better now," I replied vaguely, and stretched my arm to see that it still worked.I doubted it would ever feel normal again, but I'd live."You?"

"Oh, I'm fine," they said, too quickly.

"My left ass you're fine," I said without thinking about it, and August laughed.

"Sorry- sorry," they said between gasps of laughter."I'll never get used to Gathalran swears," and they said some phrase to themself in English, and caught their breath.

"Let me see," I said, and August met my eyes briefly before backing away a step.

"It's fine, Ada."I'm sure they knew I didn't believe them.They turned away from me and continued, "It looked a lot worse than it was.I got lucky."They started to walk back to their seat, but hesitated, and barely turned back towards me to say, "You saved my life, Adalhia.Thank you."

* * *

I'd heard it said that the fastest way to earn a human's loyalty is to defend them in combat.  August has since assured me that the fastest way to earn a human's loyalty is to give them food.  They insist that the meal I bought them after we got out of the hospital is the real reason they wanted to partner up with me, and not the whole pack-bond-forged-in-combat Gathalra nonsense.  Captain Dyrall and the others had made a safe landing nearby, and regrouped and finished their mission without us.

Ship-humans don't normally work in teams, but it's not unheard of.And I guess we have a reputation now, so we may as well stick together for a while.As humans go, there are worse people to work with.And besides, it's a dangerous job, and you know the common wisdom:

If you go anywhere dangerous, you'll want to bring a human.

**Author's Note:**

> Edit as of 09/18/19:
> 
> I just deleted a comment, which is something I've never felt the need to do before on AO3, and I want to go ahead and make a blanket statement about this:
> 
> I do want concrit on this story, but if you want to come into my comments to complain that characters are nonbinary, use they/them pronouns, or otherwise represent some minority group or another?
> 
> Don't.
> 
> That's all, hope you're having a nice day.


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